Larva M Three Nineteen
by Maladin
Summary: ON HIATUS - Silkie has always been a cheerful little creature. But what happens when this beloved pet gets sick? Especially that Beast Boy and Starfire have no idea how to cure him...
1. Truce for a silk worm

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans and all its characters, names, locations and so on, are the intellectual property of its respective owners. I do not claim ownership over Teen Titans or anything within it. I am not making any profit from these fanfictions either.**

----

Night was slowly fading out as stars quietly disappeared, already outshone by the sun that had yet to rise over the gleaming horizon. Jump City was still asleep and the Titans were no exception. Back in his room, Beast Boy even seemed to be the heaviest and loudiest sleeper in the tower. Despite his animal features, he was not the sort to rise at daybreak; and to his teammates' delight, nor was he the kind to turn into a rooster and wake everyone up every early morning.

Beast Boy's face bore a large smile, his dreams undoubtedly filled with galores of tofu, pranks, jokes and, refinements of luxury, him finally beating Cyborg to a video game. His dream self was casually gloating at his friend who saw himself forced to serve the changeling some vegetarian treat after losing a bet when a distressed voice and a bright light cause him to fall from bed and to crash on the messy floor.

"Friend Beast Boy!" Starfire's voice was as thunderous to Beast Boy's tired eardrums as the _swooshing_ door of his room was silent. "It is most disastrous!"

"What?" He sat up in bed and looked at the tall, orange blur in front of him. His barely awake eyes would need a few more seconds before adapting themselves to the sudden light, although he recognised his alien friend's voice instantly.

"It is terrible!" Another blur, much tinier and paler, appeared inches from his face. "Silkie is sick!"

Beast Boy took what he assumed to be their pet from his friend's arms. He blinked a few times and the blur became more precise, revealing a trembling Silkie staring at him with sad eyes.

"...You don't happen to know a vet for genetically modified silk worms, do you?"

"Is 'vet' the abbrevation of vetenary surgeon?" Starfire replied, glancing at Silkie. "Raven once told me about them during meditation. She even suggested you should see one in case you had fleas."

Beast Boy let out an irritated grunt. "Yes Star, those doctors. And I don't have fleas!" He added as he crossed his arms. But he didn't forget the matter at hand. "So, do you know one?"

"Sadly, no. But I think I know someone who may be able to help us..."

----

"Do you really think it's a good idea, Star?"

The changeling, borrowing the form of an eagle, and the alien were flying as fast as they could above the American ground, directing to the East. Starfire was carrying her beloved silk worm in her arms, too concerned of its health to admire the varied landscapes under them. The sun was still rising and had not reached its maximum light, but it was enough to disturb the two friends. And soon enough, it would blind them.

"For Silkie's sake, we do not have the choice."

"Probably..." Beast Boy sighed, sounding strange with his beak. "Dude, I should have brought sunglasses."

"I do not think a bird can wear glasses." Despite a situation she considered most severe, Starfire still allowed herself to smile.

"And I don't think a bird can fly from America to Europe either!" His beak still distorting his voice, his whine sounded almost ridiculous.

"Stand corrected friend. Some migratory birds of Earth regularly do this." The alien giggled. "But do not worry, if you faint and start diving down towards your watery grave, I will save you."

Beast Boy gulped. "You spend too much time with Raven."

His comment about a fellow teammate made Starfire stop dead in her tracks, causing the green eagle to bump into her back and to let out an indignant _"Ouch!"_ Still clutching her pet in her arms, she turned to Beast Boy, who was rubbing his neck with a wing while hovering with his other wing as well as can be expected.

"Will our friends approve of what we are about to do?" She asked, worried. "After all, it is not what heroes like us should do... And they will surely get suspiscious of our absence."

"Don't worry Star, I got that covered. And we shut our communicators off." Beast Boy replied, a sly grin on his face. "I don't think they'll worry about us."

----

Back in Titans Tower, Raven had already woken up and was drinking some herbal tea she had made. She was savoring the calm within the tower when she spotted a note resting on the kitchen table. Daybreak provided her enough light to make some tea, but not to read. She turned the light on and recognised Beast Boy's scrawl.

_Hello there. Star wanted to go the mall of some nearby town and she insisted to be there early, so we'll be gone when you read that. She seemed pretty eager to go, so we'll probably be there for a while. Also, we shut off our communicators. I don't want to be bothered every two minutes by Robin being..._

Raven raised an eyebrow, amused at the following word, hastily crossed out. It was _jealous_. Looks like Beast Boy was not as clueless as one would have expected. Then again, their leader's jealousy was as obvious as his obsession over the tortuous Slade.

_...by Robin being over paranoid. Don't worry, we'll be fine!_

She put the note back where she found it and turned the light off. "Well, as long as Starfire doesn't force him to wear make-up and girl clothes, I guess they'll be fine." She took a sip of her cup. "I just hope that Robin won't be too noisy when he finds out Starfire prefered to shop with Beast Boy rather than him."

----

"Finally, our destination. France!" Starfire said relieved. Carrying both Beast Boy, who was behaving like a dead weight since a few hours, and Silkie while flying was a prowess she would prefer not to repeat. The changeling had nearly fainted during their journey over the Atlantic and Starfire thanked her inhuman strenght that allowed her to save her friend with only one hand. Silkie's increasing wails didn't help either.

She landed and unceremoniously dropped Beast Boy, her stamina finally giving out. Thankfully, the fall was enough to withdraw him from his torpor. "We're there?" Still exhausted, his question sounded more like a hushed stutter than an actual sentence. He looked at the sky and noticed it was afternoon in Europe, while his teammates would probably still be asleep back in Jump City.

"Yes friend. Now, we shall visit the one we are looking for."

"Yeah. But it's not like you just landed in front of the jail where all the villains are kept frozen..."

Starfire didn't answer. She simply smiled and pointed behind Beast Boy. Intrigued, he turned around and gasped. There stood a tremendous building, towering above the thick concrete walls surrounding it. Multiple guard towers were scattered over the fortifications, the main two bordering the access road. Surprisingly, the whole facility displayed light colours such as white and soft grey, which was unlikely for a prison. Some would say it was only another important building among others.

Only the presence of several armed soldiers gave away the true purpose of the structure. Most of the one Beast Boy could see were patrolling on the covered ways or in the courtyard, but a few of them were guarding the entry. They wore the camouflaged uniforms so typical of military forces, their only head protection being green berets and they all carried assault rifles that bore a design very different to what he used to see in America. And the soldiers who usually kept an eye on the access road were now glaring suspiciously at the green changeling and orange-skinned alien who landed near them.

"Err..." Beast Boy nervously rubbed the back of his neck. _"Baonjour. Nous vouloar parler avec prizonié a vou."_ His vain attempt at talking French merely received raised eyebrows, confused expressions and a few eyerolls. His butchered accent also caused Silkie to wail and sent a chill down Starfire's spine.

The sergent of the squad, a tall man in his forties, finally spoke. "If you try to speak Molière's langage to cajole us, learn that we happen to speak Shakespeare's slang." Strangely enough, he had a Scottish accent. "Anyways, who are you to ask about such a top secret matter?" He added, tightening his grip on his FAMAS.

"I am Beast Boy." He gestured to his friend. "This is Starfire and she's carrying our silk worm Silkie. We're from the Teen Titans, a group of super heroes in America. With many other heroes, we were the ones who froze the Brotherhood of Evil and their allies. And we need something from one of the prisoners." Starfire and the rest of the squad watched Beast Boy's introduction as the sergent's grip on his weapon loosened.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know we were faced with celebrities. You may follow the road to the main door of the prison, then ask the actual staff. They'll be able to help you better than us." The soldiers left the said road to let the two teens go into the courtyard. As they walked toward the main building, Beast Boy's sensitive ears heard a few comments from the guards.

"Who did you expect them to be with such outfits?" A voice, clearly French, pointed out.

"Well, they could be supervillains. They both happen to have arguable fashion." This one sounded as if he came from Eastern Europe.

"Touché."

He heard another voice, with an Italian accent, comment. "A silk worm? And I thought naked mole rats were odd pets." What sounded like grunts of approval soon followed.

Starfire and Beast Boy looked around them. Besides the gigantic edifice they were going to, the prison simply consisted of barracks, garages and supply depots. All of them were buzzing with activity, those servicemen were not only guards, they also seemed to be workers. Some of them barely glanced at them before returning to work. The two Titans were not surprised; compared to the villains kept frozen there, they were not too incredible.

They eventually reached the main door. Starfire was about to open it when a green hand grabbed the doorknob. She blinked as Beast Boy pulled the glass door and gestured her to enter first.

"We're in France. Best place to show gallantry, isn't it?" He gave her a toothy grin.

"Oh, yes, gallantry. Shall I curtsey too?" She asked cheerfully.

"Hm, maybe later. I think Silkie is getting impatient." True to his word, the silk worm was glaring angrily at him between coughing fits and sneezes.

Starfire nodded and she walked in, followed by the changeling. Behind a large black desk, a young secretary was sitting on a comfortable chair with a document in one hand and a coffee cup in the other. She was wearing a red jacket and blue skirt, both of them cut to look professional. They approached the desk and Beast Boy was about to say something when the woman talked, still focused on her work. "May I help you?"

"Yes. We would like to see one of the frozen villains, please." Starfire's polite request finally made the secretary looked at them.

"Teen super heroes, I presume?" They both nodded. "The sergent called me about you two coming. I'll lead you to the cells." She got up and the three of them disappeared into one of the corridors.

"You came here in time. We will soon transfer the prisoners to a more suitable jail. Even with all those soldiers outside, we're not prepared for criminals with super powers." She instinctively began to explain, used to do so any time someone would visit the facility. "The cells are at the very opposite of the entrance, it gives the guards more time to intercept the captives. But those supervillains would probably go through the walls as if it was butter..."

"Tell me about it." Beast Boy muttered. "About those soldiers... I'd have expected them to sound more, you know, French."

"They're from the Foreign Legion. This elite force accepts anyone in its ranks, as long as he swears to protect France and freedom. The usual stuff, if you want." She casually replied, not even bothering to glance at her speaker. They eventually arrived in front of a heavily guarded door. "But enough general knowledge. We're here." She nodded at the guards and the door soon _whooshed_ open.

"Find whoever you're looking for. Meanwhile, I'll go get the technicians to unfreeze him or her." With that, she disappeared into a room near the entrance.

Neon lights had been placed at the base and at the top of the walls, providing a dim illumination to the room. Beams were reflecting through the icy prisons and gave the villains within them an unreal glow. The giant icicle that had previously contained all of the enemies the Titans defeated in Paris had been cut, thus separating each criminal and putting each one in a lone frozen prison. The cells simply consisted of those prisons encased in a steel frame, connected to monitors displaying the captives' vital signs. Starfire, Beast Boy and even Silkie felt intimidated, surrounded by all those threatening enemies who looked ready to pounce them even thouh their current states forbid them to.

They finally found who they were looking for. They were casting a few worried glances at their beloved pet when the secretary and a technician arrived. "Who do you want me to thaw out?" The former politely asked.

"Him." They said, simultaneously pointing at the villain encased in his frozen prison. The secretary nodded at the technician who began to thaw him out. Silkie didn't know whether to be intimidated or glad to soon meet its creator once again.

Even petrified, Killer Moth gave the impression to stare through its little mind.

----

After what felt like an eternity, Killer Moth finally woke up from his frozen torpor. His multi-faceted eyes quickly adapted to the sudden wave of light and he saw three silhouettes in front of him, three familiar faces he wished never to see again. Adrenaline increased within him and he was about to jump on his enemies when he felt cold metal around his wrists and ankles. He had been handcuffed, footcuffed and probably wingcuffed too. The humanoid moth let out a low growl as he vainly tried to break himself free, but the steel locks persisted to prevent him to appease his thirst for revenge. Ultimately he gave up and did his best not to sound full of hatred.

"What a nice surprise. Beast Boy and Starfire. Oh, and even Larva M-Three-Nineteen." He told them in his distorted voice. "What owes me this pleasure? Excuse me for not bowing, but as you see I'm a little incapacited for the moment."

"You created Silkie, right?" Beast Boy asked, ignoring Killer Moth's sarcasm.

"Yes, I created him. I didn't expect it to be so ungrateful, though."

"Then." It was Starfire's turn to speak. "You undoubtedly know how to cure him from whichever disease he has."

Killer Moth quickly understood what they wanted from him. "You expect me to heal this ungrateful larva for my worst enemies?" The giant insect scoffed at them. "I was the one stuck in ice, yet you seem to be the ones with frozen brains if you think I'll do this... without a worthy compensation..."

Starfire and Beast Boy glanced at each other. "You are a bad man." Killer Moth resisted the urge to reply _"No, duh."_ and nodded at her, silently asking her to continue. "But if you help us, your dark deeds might be forgiven as long as you do not repeat them."

One of his eyes grew bigger as the other seemed to shrink: he raised his eyebrow, faking interest. "It doesn't sound like a fair deal at all. You get a healthy pet while I must behave like a good citizen." He snickered at the very thought of himself not terrorizing the population.

"Well, you get to be unfrozen. Isn't that enough?"

He didn't know Beast Boy meant it to be a hidden threat, but Killer Moth assumed that he would probably rejoin his cold jail if he refused. "I may be unfrozen, but my spawn won't. Heroes like yourselves do not separate families..." He grinned at his enemies' reaction: Starfire's jealousy reappeared and Beast Boy uneasily glanced down. At least, it looked like he managed to culpabilize one of them.

But the changeling had another trick down his sleeve. "Okay. We could unfreeze Kitten." The villain's grin widened, both at the fact that his plan seemed to work and at the alien's growing fury at the mere mention of his daughter's name. "But she'll probably ask us to free her boyfriend too. And to thank her wonderful daddy, she'd probably start making out with him. And his mandibles."

It was Beast Boy's turn to grin as Killer Moth's one was instantly replaced with an expression of sheer digust. "Well..." The geneticist stuttered. "I guess that I could use some time alone, with no child to look after..."

"Delighted to see that we've a deal." The green teen replied as he unlocked the captive who rubbed his sore limbs.

"But you should tell your friend to loosen her grip over Larva M-Three-Nineteen if you want anything left to heal."

True enough, Starfire had been so infuriated at the thought of Kitten that she had completely forgotten about Silkie, who was squeaking in distress under the inhuman pressure crushing its frail body. The alien barely heard her friend yell her name before being most unceremoniously shaken out of her jealous trance by both Beast Boy and Killer Moth. The latter even was overzealous about frantically shaking an enemy. Eventually, she loosened her grip over the silk worm who let out a sigh of relief.

"And I thought that Kitten was the most jealous girl on Earth..." Killer Moth muttered as Starfire was busy excusing herself to her pet. "So, do we have a pet to heal or what?" He asked them, impatient to get out of the prison. As if on cue, the technician opened the door.

"Are you done? I must check some equipments in this room."

"We were about to leave. Thanks again for the help!" Beast Boy answered happily.

"It was our pleasure. And it'll still be one less criminal to guard." The technician replied, trying his best to hide the fear in his voice. Killer Moth was, after all, a dangerous villain.

The three superpowered beings made their way to the secretary waiting for them. She led them to the exit, much faster than she had led the two teens to the cells. Beast Boy had to admit, villains could be quite motivating just by being themselves. Soon enough, they had crossed the courtyard, ignoring the soldiers' meticulous watch over them or more specifically over the humanoid insect.

"Free. At last."

"You still have to respect our agreement." Starfire told him, gesturing to the silk worm in Beast Boy's arms. Indeed, Silkie had found the changeling's arms much safer than the Tamaranean's ones.

"Don't worry, I'll heal Larva M-Three-Nineteen."

"Silkie!" Both teens corrected at the same time.

Killer Moth crossed his arms in a manner that implied he was also rolling his eyes, although you could not tell with such munti-faceted eyes. "Whatever."


	2. Scheduling the cure

It was still quiet in the tower, but Raven, sitting on the couch and reading a thick novel, knew it wouldn't last. Robin had just entered the large room that served the team both as a kitchen and a living room, ready for breakfast. Clad in his typical and, in her opinion, disgracefully coloured outfit, the teen hero didn't see Beast Boy's note for the simple reason that Raven ultimately decided it would be more prudent if her quick-tempered leader didn't read the letter, since the description concerning him was not very flattering.

The half-demon briefly debated informing him of the absence of two teamates, but the probable scream following it would not fail to rudely wake Cyborg up. Raven prefered waiting until he was awake, it was fairer. And, of course, the later Robin started shrieking, the more she could read.

_'And it is definitely the most important.'_ She concluded, turning a page of her book.

----

"I think I know what the matter is." Killer Moth said, causing the two heroes to stop sipping their drinks. They were currently sitting at the terrace of a café, on their own. The other customers previously sitting outside had quickly retreated inside the store and even the waiters were not confident about approaching such strange creatures. They nonetheless were able to order a few drinks and three meals, making up for the breakfast the teens missed. Being encased in ice slowed his organism down, so a single snack was enough for the villain.

"Really?" Beast Boy hastily asked, pleased at the prospect of Silkie getting cured.

"Yes. You see, your pet misses his true home, and his grief starts to have repercussions on its own organism. You should give him back to me, he would feel better..." Killer Moth told them, trying his best to look innocent and to sound credible. The Titans' skeptical expressions made him question his acting skills.

"Are you sure to be completely truthful, Killer Moth?" He frenetically nodded. "I do not believe you."

"I tried..." He shrugged. "Actually, Larva M-Three-Nineteen shows the symptoms of an indigestion. A few of my other larvas had such trouble, but his own seems odd. What have you been feeding him?"

"Well... a little of everything we found. Tofu, Zorka Berries; he doesn't monstruously mutate after eating those anymore; anything cooked with those berries... He also seems fond of that blue, creepy and alive-looking stuff there's in the fridge. And I think he likes soy milk and soda too."

The geneticist stared blankly at Beast Boy. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and eventually announced his diagnosis. "While my moths are able to eat virtually anything, larvas require more digestible foods... But I'm almost sure the trouble comes from this blue resident of your fridge."

"Is there anything you can do?"

"Certainly. However, I need access to my laboratory. And you will have to bring me this... thing in your fridge. Since I am sure the Titans will not allow me to enter." Killer Moth paused, as realization struck him. He cautiously calculated his words, a faint smirk on his face. "By the way... Where are the other Titans?"

Beast Boy and Starfire glanced at each other, they had hoped the villain wouldn't bring up this point. The green teen nodded, wordlessly telling the alien they should tell Killer Moth. "Our friends are not aware of this travel. We figured they would not agree to your liberty, even for Silkie's sake or with your promise not to terrorize the citizens." She narrowed her eyes, clearly indicating he should respect the truce.

"And they're not surprised that you're both missing?"

"I covered that." Beast Boy interrupted. "Dude, that reminds me that I wrote we would be at some mall. We should go buy some stuff or they'll get suspicious."

"I have heard Paris was the capital of what you call 'fashion'. It should not be too difficult to find something." She shoved her hand down one of her boots. Before Killer Moth could even raise an eyebrow, she had a wallet in her hand. "But first, we should pay for our meal with the European currency we received in return for dollars." She called a waiter who was courageous enough to stand near the super-powered trio.

As she paid the waiter, Killer Moth could only comtemplate his bad fortune. _'I must heal an ungrateful pet, become honest, endure her quirky speaking... I will sure have deserved this freedom...'_ His face bore nothing but sheer distress when he imagined their trip to the mall. _'And now, I must go shopping. If she's anything like Kitten when she's at the mall...'_ He shuddered. _'Slade, patron unsaint of criminals, protect me...'_

----

Robin was still eating when Cyborg entered the room, yawning. The robotic teen drew near the cooking area, producing a computerized frying pan from a shelf; he had created one day when crime was low and only boredom was left for the Titans to fight. As for Raven, she had finished reading her work of fiction and was lying on the couch, enjoying the last moments of silence. The worst collateral damage currently being Robin choking on his drink, she judged it was the wisest time to inform the remaining Titans of their two teammates' absence.

"Guys." Her monotonous voice caused them to look at her, Cyborg still holding the frying pan between the shelf and the stove. "Don't expect Starfire and Beast Boy to attend breakfast, they're at the mall."

Robin almost dropped his glass when he heard the news. "What? So early?" He jumped out of his chair, his grip tightening over the goblet. "Do you realize what it means?"

"Yes." Cyborg grinned. "No grass stain to insist on tofu and as much mustard I want to go with my meat!" Raven watched him open the fridge wildly and taking out meat in such great quantities, she feared her stomach would erupt from her abdomen and run off while emiting bloodcurdling screams.

Robin interrupted the cyborg's upcoming _"Booyah!"_ with an angry outburst. "No! I want to know why she'd bring _Beast Boy_ to shop with her! Even going with Raven would be more logical..."

The empath growled. "I don't do shopping. She probably realized it and thought he'd accept more easily than me." She glanced at Cyborg, frying steaks after steaks. "Try to be like Cyborg and take advantage of a day without them." She jerked a thumb toward him, drowning his meal with mustard.

Robin's eyes grew wide. "You mean, Starfire won't be here today? At all?"

Raven didn't know whether to feel amused or irritated of his misery. "Probably, their trip will last many hours easily." She then muttered. "I pity the clerks..." She turned around, now facing the door. "Now if you may excuse me, I must meditate."

"Take it easy, man." Cyborg eventually said between two bites of meat. "If anything, you should be happy. Our green dude will have to endure Star's arguable fashions, not you." He chuckled at the thought of Beast Boy stuck in a fitting room, threatened to wear the oddest outfits by a Tamaranean princess.

"Still..." The Boy Wonder was not convinced. "She should have asked me rather than Beast Boy. I'm the leader, not him..."

"Maybe you're right. BB wouldn't be jealous if she chose you, after all..." He innocently whistled as his comment sunk in Robin's mind.

"I'm not jealous!" He replied, much louder than he wanted and blushing slightly.

"Sure. And Starfire is not an alien..."

"No, I mean it." Robin continued, trying very hard to diminish his flush. "Just what would I be jealous of regarding Starfire?"

Cyborg cupped his chin. "True..." His eyes studied the ceiling until they darted back to his masked leader. "But what do you mean by 'regarding Starfire', Robin?" He asked with a smirk.

----

"Dude. Now I realize why Raven doesn't go shopping with you."

At this time, our green protagonist had the unenviable role of being Starfire's personnal mannequin. And the fact that she surprisingly managed to find only the most appallingly hideous ensembles proved that fate had a twisted, very twisted sense of humour. He presently was forced to wear a pink coat, trimmed with gold linings, punctuated with cheap ersatzs of gems. If Starfire found a blonde wig, he would soon look like Kitten. This mere thought sent a chill down his spine.

"You feel like friend Raven?" She tossed a large cherry-coloured hat, embellished with a synthetic blue feather, on his head. "Does that make you ravenous?"

"Hm... no." He answered, feeling more ridiculous as the seconds went by. But he kept his protests to a minimum, he didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings, which were sometimes easily hurt. Plus, he didn't want to be called a 'clorbag vablernek' again, especially that she still didn't give him the translation. From time to time, he wondered if her being so easily upset was a Tamaranean thing, a royalty thing or simply a Starfire thing. He was so deep in thought, and optionally, in despair, that he didn't notice Killer Moth kneel down beside him.

"She does realize she's rummaging through the 'little girl clothing' part of the shop, doesn't she?" He asked him, nodding toward the teenaged heroine who was currently fascinated by a silk gown. Much to the changeling's distress, it seemed to be closer to his own size than to Starfire's one. "You should hope she notices it before I'm forced to call you Beast Girl." He added, smirking.

"Friend Beast Boy!" The villain cautiously slipped away as Starfire grasped the green teen's hand. "I have found the perfect attire for you!" She cheerfully shoved an outrageously fluffy scarf, the sort to be expected appearing around a top model or a snob villainess' neck, inches from his nose. His screams of agony and demands for mercy went ignored, for the alien was having too much fun playing the fashion designer. Or, from Beast Boy's point of view, playing the vicious tormentor.

Killer Moth was mentally chuckling at the torture before him when he caught a glimpse of Silkie, hiding from his k'norfka's arguable concept of entertainment. He glanced at Starfire and Beast Boy, both too taken by their activities, respectively dressing up a remotely willing victim and vainly trying to flee, to even remember his presence. He smirked again. _'Even Larva M-Three-Nineteen is oblivious now... What prevents me to snatch him and escape? Nothing. Nothing at all...'_

He discreetly approached the nervous mutant worm, occasionally making sure the Titans were as oblivious as his target. He cautiously lowered his hand above Silkie, the inches separating him from his prey decreasing, slowly but surely. He resisted the urge to sneer, it was even easier than stealing some baby's candy. Killer Moth was eager to bring this ungrateful larva back home; a little re-education would not be superfluous. He now was about to close his gloved hand on his prey...

"Hey!"

The shout, seemingly coming from nowhere, caused the geneticist to promptly put the guilty arm behind his winged back. _'Failed.'_ He thought bitterly. Killer Moth looked at the owner of this cursed voice. It was a clerk, and his interruption captured the teens' attention, thus saving Beast Boy from a blue dress, much to his relief. The villain made a mental note to get back at this unplanned company. With the Titans around, it would sadly not go beyond him 'accidental' tripping the employee, or scare him off with a threatening face, but it would at least prove to be satisfying.

"Sorry to bother you, but your..." He struggled to find an appropriate word."...mannequin's screams are kind of frightening the customers." The clerk pointed at Beast Boy while bearing an expression of condolences for the victim.

"Really? Then I think we should be the one to apologize for such trouble." She replied politely. "I do not wish to scare your patrons any further, so I will stop dressing up my friend." Her attention focused on the clerk, she didn't see Beast Boy's exultation, glad to be freed from his torment.

"Thank you." He said, as politely as Starfire, cocking an eyebrow at her complicated speech. "However, if you ever want to disguise him again, I advise you not to choose the sector intended for little girls..."

Judging from the admiring glint in Beast Boy's eyes, Killer Moth almost expected him to raise a shrine consecrated to his savior. He rolled his multi-faceted eyes. '_Idiot.'_

----

Raven had finished meditating in time for lunchtime. However she felt more alone than usual, and that wasn't caused by the lack of a green jokester and an overcheerful alien. Normally, Cyborg and Robin should be here, but she was left unaccompanied to eat her salad. She saw her leader only twice, each time clutching his communicator, occasionally furiously pushing its buttons and asking her if she saw Cyborg. _'He didn't like the whole 'shutting their communicators off' thing. And Beast Boy called __**me**__ creepy...'_

She stood up and walked to the sink. She intended to take a glass a water when the telepath heard something move under the sink. _'Did the blue fudge took residence under there too?'_ She briefly pondered, before opening the lower shelf where an unexpected sight welcomed her eyes.

"How can you fit here?" She eventually asked, hiding her surprise with an emotionless tone. Cyborg motioned her to shut up, glancing right and left as if he was some monster's prey.

"Sh! Robin must not find me!" He took Raven's cocked eyebrow as a request for an explanation. "He's been asking me to activate the secondary tracking system of the communicators!"

"And you refused. "

"Yeah, I mean, they gotta have their privacy, right?" He was answered by Raven hastily slapping the shelf door shut. "Hey?" He heard footsteps, then his female friend's voice.

"Oh, Robin. Still looking for Cyborg, I presume?" She ventured, leaning against the access to Cyborg's refuge. She preceded her leader's question. "Nope, didn't see him if you're wondering."

"It's incredible, I searched everywhere..." Visibly, he was taking his frustation out on his communication device.

"And stop crushing that poor thing, it did nothing to deserve that." Robin's annoyed departure wes her only response. She swiftly opened the shelf door and knelt down to face Cyborg.

"Sorry, I had to close both the door and the conversation." She allowed a faint smile to appear on her pale lips. "And that's nice to know someone knows what privacy is."

"It's nothing really."

"Do you plan to stay here until our 'privacy-safe' friends come back?"

"Yep." He paused. "By the way, could you give me a sandwich? I'm getting hungry..."

"Well, hiding in there _would_ be useless if your stomach was growling..." She glanced at the fridge. "Any preference?"

"Is there a foot-long ham and beef jerky sandwich?" He asked, his eyes glistening with hope and desire. And on a less appealing note, his mouth watering.

"Forget the foot-long part." She rose and walked to the fridge. "Tell me how you managed to fit in that shelf while I prepare it, okay?" She then added, loud enough for him to hear from his odd haven.

----

"Why did you jostle this employee into the undergarment sector?" Starfire asked Killer Moth, turning her head toward him. The three of them were on their way back to Jump City, flying over the ocean. Silkie had returned to her arms, seeing how Beast Boy's hawk form couldn't hold him and that he prefered not to approach his creator too much. Starfire had even convinced the villain to carry the clothes she bought, on the pretext of his experience with Kitten's shopping. She had asked Beast Boy, but he didn't want to get anywhere near those instruments of torture.

"It was an accident." Killer Moth fought the urge to add _"A meticulously planned accident, but an accident nonetheless..."_

"Ah." Starfire seemed to believe him. "Anyway, I think our mission is almost over. We will soon find acure for Silkie, our fellow Titans will not question us..."

"Maybe not." Her speech was interrupted by Beast Boy's screech. "Cy and Rae probably won't question us, but Robin, as we shut off our communicators... Maybe I underestimated his paranoia..."

"I hope it doesn't mean I will go back to my icy cell. The 'deal' we had is already bad enough." Killer pointed out, while his mind was still working on a possible escape plan. A plan involving two agonizing Titans, preferably. "What do you expect me to do with my look? Win the Most Honest Citizen award?"

"With your skills, you could still be a vet."

"Speaking of missed opportunities, I bet you would have been a better pet to Starfire than Larva M-Three-Nineteen." He scoffed at Silkie and Beast Boy's outraged expressions. If the truce allowed him to mock them as much as he wanted to, perhaps it was not so bad...


	3. Experimental infiltration

After years of neglect, the residence that once brought pride to Killer Moth's heart was nothing but an old forsaken ruin. After his first arrest by the Teen Titans, any remotely threatening device or creature within his home had been confiscated by the police, and their scientific squads had added insult to injury by labelling the whole property as a genetic hazard. This, and the eventual presence of a mad geneticist, appeared to be enough to frighten any vandal, as the house looked untouched. Deserted, but untouched.

"Well." Killer Moth stood in front of the main door, facing his two unlikely companions. "One of you must go back to your tower and bring me back that... thing from your fridge. Who would be the more furtive?"

Beast Boy instantly raised his hand. "That would be me." To prove his point, he turned into a green fly and started buzzing around the villain's head, awaiting the rest of the briefing.

"Good." He turned to Starfire. "You will come in with me. I presume you won't trust me alone down there, right?" She nodded and Beast Boy flew up and down, doing his best at mimicking his friend's gesture. "I knew it. Now, go." And with a buzz, the fly was gone.

Killer Moth then turned his attention to the wooden door and took hold of its handle, still carrying Starfire's bags with his free hand. He was about to open it when the door cracked and fell inside the hall, the handle still held in the villain's hand. "Shaping up good..." He grunted sarcastically as he entered his home, unfeelingly stepping on the collapsed door and throwing the handle over his shoulder. Starfire hesitantly followed him, wishing nothing else would fall down on her or Silkie.

----

As Beast Boy flew toward the tower, he wondered how Killer Moth could see with those multifaceted eyes of his. Seeing with such eyes was already difficult when the sun was out to warm up this side of the planet, but it was a whole new challenge by night, in particular with all those headlights and street lamps blinding him. From times to times, he even had to fight off his fly instincts that urged him to go incinerate himself on a lamp.

How did Killer Moth manage to see with such eyes?

Eventually, he stopped on the branch of a nearby oak. He looked around, his complex vision spotting no witness to his next transformation. The changeling turned into an owl, a night hunter being a much wiser choice than an insect to reach his destination. He would turn back into a fly within the tower. He took advantage of this brief break to polish up his plan. _'Enter the tower, get the blue thingumajig... I hope it won't bite me... And go back to Killer Moth's labo. All that furtively, of course.'_ He frowned. _'Dude, that rules out humming any tune from my favorite spy movies. So not cool.'_

Hoping nobody would be in front of the fridge, the green owl took flight toward his T-shaped target.

----

Killer Moth tried to ignore the memories rushing back into his mind. As he walked in his home after a long absence, images of his Kitten's youth kept flowing through his head. Wonderful ones like her birth or when he raised her with his wife. And much more painful ones such as the day her mother left them or the rest of their life after their first encounter with the Teen Titans. But ultimately, the rising nostalgy caused an emotion the villain did not feel for ages to resurface.

Guilt.

Guilt to have abandoned his only daughter, his dear child in a cold prison. Guilt to have sided, even though being imposed such a truce, with some of the heroes who sent her to this prison. And even guilt to be free, at least from a block of ice, while she did not have this chance. He chucled lightly at that, he used to consider this a silly sort of remorse. And this quiet laughter was enough to bring him back to reality and the fact that he was not alone.

He swiveled round and discovered Starfire holding Silkie with one arm and, more importantly to his eyes, about to open a door with her free hand. The alien, overridden with curiosity, evidently did not know the importance the room she wanted to access had for Killer Moth. Therefore, she was understandably surprised when his gloved hand clutched her wrist, forcefully driving it from the golden door handle.

Due to his particular appearance, Killer Moth was already significantly frightening, even to Starfire. But at this instant, the said villain had spread out his striated wings and was threateningly towering over the alien, thus shading her from the little illumination provided by the skylight pearing through the windows. His menacing fanged jaw was centimeters from her orange face and his many-sided eyes seemed to stare right through her head, lit by what she assumed to be fury. Starfire was not one to be easily intimidated, but she could not help but admit that, whatever was fueling his rage, Killer Moth was terrifying, petrifying even. Silkie would not contest that, as he happened to be frozen in fear.

"You already hurt my daughter enough." He hissed, senting a chill down Starfire's spine. "Don't you dare soil her bedroom with your presence."

Insensitively, he released her armour-clad wrist, turned his back to her and walked down the hall. Starfire, still taken aback by the villain's eruption of anger, just looked at him disappear into a side corridor and then watched her wristband. It was cracked. Badly. She made a mental note not to underestimate Killer Moth's strength when she heard the said geneticist harshly commanding her to follow him. Slowly coming out of her outburst-induced daze, she headed for whatever room he was in now.

----

Sparks flew from the eviscerated communicator as Robin fused two wires together with a thin stick-shaped blowlamp. Angered by his lack of power to locate the missing Titans, his frustation had gotten the better of him and he had thrown his communicator a wall with enough strength to tear it open. Now, the teenaged leader was left to repair it, too embarassed, or rather too proud, to ask Cyborg to do it. He did not want any other comment about him showing any hint of jealousy, and it was an excellent opportunity to train his hi-tech skills, and he might even be able to add a few updates of his own devising...

Robin was in a dark corner of the garage, planning to ambush Cyborg as it was the first place he would come to newt morning, which would allow the quick-tempered teen to convince the cyborg to pinpoint Starfire's location. He was too focused on his work to notice a bug entering through an open window and flying to the stairs. A green fly.

----

Starfire had a few second thoughts about going into the room that served Killer Moth both as a basement and a laboratory. Entering such areas never brought her luck, instead it brought her four-eyed rats trying to digest her and mutated moths with a similar goal. But what she had been doing for the past hours was for her pet's sake, and she had to continue. She went down the stairs, noticing that Killer Moth had left her bags near the end of them.

Nonetheless, she observed the vast room, still curious about the villain's home. Unlike Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven, she had never been in this house, much less this basement. But from what she recalled from their description, it changed much. There were only some furniture and accessories left, a desk with a lamp and a pair of cupboards to be more exact, all of them covered with a thin layer of dust.

As she moved toward the desk to turn on the lamp, Killer Moth knelt down in a corner while making sure not to be in within her eyeshot. He touched the ground with his hand until he felt an incision in the wood. Checking once again whether he could be seen, he silently opened a trapdoor, revealing a cache full of scientific items. A full copy of his former material, test tubes, pipettes, flasks and other glassware, as well as a microscope, all intact thanks to a preservative substance coating the hidden compartment. Killer Moth briefly congratulated himself for such a backup equipment and put it out, quietly as ever.

He now approached the desk, now dust free thanks to Starfire who had cleaned it after switching the lamp on. She expected the villain to use this table, though not knowing what he would use. But she soon got her answer as Killer Moth delicately put down his glassware.

"How did you acquire those? I thought the police had confiscated everything." She asked him, genuinely intriqued yet somewhat doubtful that he would answer.

"It was laying over there." He lied, jerking his thumb toward the corner he came from. "Come on,did you really expect _them_ to be skilled? They can't even stop the most pathetic shoplifter." Sadly for Jump City, it was true. Their police had much experience when it came to hiding behind their cars; the best in the country in this discipline actually; and waiting for the Titans to come do their job, but that was it.

"If you say so." Starfire glanced at the test tubes. "I presume we only have to wait for friend Beast Boy."

Killer Moth nodded. _'Does she always have to put friend before their names? Thank goodness she does not call me fiend Killer Moth...'_

----

Beast Boy was thankful their trip lasted long enough for night to set in, asleep Titans meant an easier infiltration. He morphed back into his human self in front of the fridge, still making sure to be the most silent he could. The light pouring out the fridge gave him enough luminosity to find his blue target, but unknown to him, he was not alone in the living room.

_'The fridge is open now?'_ Cyborg rolled his eyes. _'Man, does Robin know what sleep is about?'_ The beam provided by the fridge did not go unnoticed to the half robot, still hidden in his shelf, nor the sound of its opening for that matter. _'Please don't open the cupboard, I don't want to deal with a jealous bird boy now...'_

He finally heard the fridge be closed. As nothing happened in the next minutes, he assumed Robin would not bother him. He thought it could not be Raven, as she would have checked on him. Of course, he could not have expected Beast Boy to come secretly. More because the cyborg could not picture the changeling being quiet in this lifetime than anything else, though.

----

Starfire had been trying to start a conversation with Killer Moth but she failed miserably. Consequently, they were reduced to play rock, paper scissors for the past half hour - Silkie was winning - when a green owl, carrying a tiny bag in its beak, appeared over the stairs and flew into the room. Before long, it morphed into the short and green teen the duo was expecting.

"Mission accomplished, sir!" He saluted, the plastic bag proudly hanging under his chin, attached to one of his pointy teeth.

_'Great, the Doom Patrol reflexes kicked back.'_ Killer Moth thought as Beast Boy gave him a glass container that one could have mistaken for a jam jar if it was not for the moving substance inside. With its blue resident, it looked more like something the Tamaranean would have cooked. Speaking of which, he saw Beast Boy give the alien a yellow bottle that he had produced from his bag.

"Here Star, I figured you were hungry after all that flight." He gave her a cheery smile as he took out a tofu hotdog from the bag for himself.

Killer Moth's eye nearly twitched when he saw Starfire gulp down mustard before using the container as a feeding bottle for Silkie. _'...If he adopted their eating habits, no wonder he got an indigestion.'_ He quickly turned his attention to his microscope, worryingly glancing toward the three devourishing monsters in his basement from times to times.

Early enough, they had finished their frugal meal and decided to withdraw to the upper part of the room to leave the geneticist in peace for his work. "Oh, by the way. Good old paranoid Robin might notice some of the food disappeared from the fridge, so we should go back before they wake up." Beast Boy said, still close enough for Killer Moth to hear.

"Indeed." Starfire then cocked her head, confused. "But I thought that friend Robin was young."

They were almost out of earshot when Killer Moth yelled, before Beast Boy could explain. "And don't you dare enter Kitten's room! I'll know it if you do." The two teens nodded, then disappeared upstairs.

_'Coming up with plans and eluding eventual evidence? Since when Beast Boy become smart?'_ Killer Moth pondered, still looking at the stairs. _'Next thing we'll know, Starfire will speak like that Ding Dong Daddy the Brotherhood called...'_

----

"I'm glad it's almost finished. I can't feel my arms anymore." Beast Boy commented as they visited the house, rubbing his sore limbs to emphasize his point. They were currently within one of the corridors.

Starfire was not facing him, currently paying attention to a decorated vase standing upon a handcrafted desk, but she nodded nevertheless. "I am exhausted too." She heard a yawn under her chin. "And Silkie too. I hope Killer Moth will find a cure without too much delay, I desire to sleep." The mention of the villain's name brought a shadow in her green eyes.

"I know we already discussed such matter, but I still have second thoughts..."

The changeling leaned against the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed. "It's okay Star. Silkie will be fine and I doubt Killer Moth will go and commit crimes, so the others won't know."

"In reality, I have regrets about Killer Moth. I am not as effective as friend Raven to sense emotions, but he seems angered and sad."

Beast Boy opened an eye, gazing up at Starfire. Typical Starfire, caring for everyone. "Kitten?" He spotted a glint of jealousy burn in her eyes, but it disappeared as promptly as it came, much to Silkie's relief.

"Most likely. He seems very protective of his daughter." She said, looking down. "He probably thinks we forced him to abandon her, which is true as much as I dislike it."

Beast Boy put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know Star. But it would have been too dangerous, we made him accept the truce, Fang might have agreed... But I don't think Kitten would have stayed harmless with you around." He would have mentioned that the alien would not have stayed neutral either, but messing with a girl stonger than Cyborg was not very safe.

"You are right."

"Now, how about we go into Kitten's room? Killer Moth will never know..." He devilishly ventured, his immaturity kicking back.

"Her bedroom is this way, but I am not su-" She was cut off as Beast Boy caught her wrist and rocketed toward the indicated direction. Soon enough, Beast Boy stood in front of the forbidden room, while Starfire was slumped a few feet further, as Beast Boy had the bad idea to stop dashing and release her hand at the same time, inviting inertia to do its job.

His mind still blinded by mischief, he did not realize that his friend was sprawled across the floor, trying to see where her beloved pet had landed, as he motioned to open the door.

"I told you not to go in Kitten's room, Beast Boy!" Killer Moth's thundering voice came from the depths of his basement, startling the teen and causing him to quickly withdraw his hand behind his back. He looked around him, surprised not to see the villain.

"Dude, how did he know?" He wondered aloud.

"Your mischief is quite notorious."

Silence.

"Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?"

"Considering how you are the cause of my stumble, would you help me up?" She asked, a distinct note of irritation in her usually cheerful voice.

"Oh, yeah." Beast Boy replied, embarassed, before walking to her, ready to help.

----

Killer Moth rolled his eyes. He expected the changeling not to listen to his interdict, but not to be that noisy. He had heard a feminine shriek, followed by what he assumed to be the alien falling with a crash. The villain speculated how Beast Boy managed to show discretion within the tower. Focusing back on his experiment, he insipidly took a sample of his blue subject and poured it ina test tube. Then, he held the tube up to his head, as if staring at it would make the substance deliver all of its secrets.

"You know, 'blue mold-this thing' isn't very scientific." He unthinkingly told the substance. "I think I will call you Fuzzy, future discussions will be easier."

Of course, the substance did not react.

"I know, I know... I still can't believe I'm reduced to being their lackey either." He replied, desperate for any dialogue he could find that did not involve his enemies.

Fuzzy grew and screeched in its test tube.

"Of course I must free Kitten!" Another screech. "Oh, yeah, and Fang too."

The unholy matter shrank, grew and shrank again.

"What?" Killer Moth hurriedly brought the test tube near his ear. "You have a plan?"

Fuzzy emitted a few bubbles. The geneticist's eyes grew wide.

"Fuzzy, you're a genius!" But his face then bore a frightened expression as the substance whirled around within the tube.

"I'm not _that_ evil!" He let out a disgusted grunt, but continued to listen nonetheless. "...Even the Brotherhood would not stoop that low. You're a monster! How could I ever consider you a friend?"

He produced a needle and laughed coldly. "Terrified much? You should." He introduced the tool into the blue substance and, when he had the right amount of sample, extracted the needle from the screeching subject. Apparently, concentrating on his profession again finally brought Killer Moth out of his temporary insanity.

As he placed the sample upon the slide of his microscope, the geneticist murmured. "I will know _everything_ about you, whatever you are."


	4. The power of science

Killer Moth growled in frustation as his experiment failed yet another time. Normally, he would have promptly solved the problem that creating an antidote was, if the sample he was studying was conventional. But he had soon discovered, much to his displeasure, that the blue substance that looked harmless at first, though understandably repulsive, appeared to be quite hostile when it felt endangered. Killer Moth glanced at the dissolved pulp that once served him as a glove, resting on a corner of the desk, and mused how something could do acid, neutral and basic damage at the same time.

Hidden within his twisted mind, a part of him wished that his sample had activated its defense system when Silkie ate one of its peers. That way, the current and humiliating situation would never had happened and, perhaps, the pet's owners might have been inconsolable enough to prove themselves useless to the Titans, thus ensuring a bright future for the criminals of Jump City. The malevolent geneticist shook such thoughts off his head. As sweet those thoughts of revenge were, it distracted him from his work. And as did the disturbing notion that the creature did not consider being eaten as dangerous enough to initiate self-defense.

He glared at the substance stuck into one of his flasks. However much it tried to liquefy its glass prison, all of Killer Moth's material was fireproof, waterproof, bulletproof and could most likely use 'proof' as a suffix to all the words enclosed in a dictionary. His scientific glassware even survived to Kitten's constant shrieks, irrefutable confirmation of its resistance.

Killer Moth emitted a long sigh before turning back to his science.The sooner he found a cure, the sooner the annoying duo composed of Beast Boy and Starfire would leave his house. As he slivered the aggressive matter with his scalpel, he silently prayed that something would be left of his upper home when he finished his experimentations. He dropped the fresh sample in a test tube where a mauvish liquid was contained. As the two substances met, wisps of smoke were emanated, yet not perturbing Killer Moth's attention.

When the reaction was complete, the winged villain took the tube and held it inches from his face where a smile made a stealthy apparition. So far, the solution seemed the one he was waiting for, but he needed to make certain of that. Killer Moth drew near another test tube where ounces of his victim were resting. Carefully, he let a few droplets fall into the second tube and smirked as the creature screeched in agony. If his solution could not cure Larva M-Three-Nineteen, at least it would rid him off this dreadful organism. In the end, he put both tubes back in their positions.

Killer Moth let out a sigh of relief as he slumped in his chair. However, his abrupt impact with the cold floor reminded him that the police had confiscated his chair, yet leaving his desk and his lamp. "I bet those imbeciles from the police station needed a chair and plundered mine." He remarked while getting up and rubbing his sore back. Killer Moth then looked at the room's only window, observing the luminosity. "4 A.M. already?" He groaned. "Well, at least I finished soon enough for the pubescents above her to return their tower early. I shouldn't be bothered by pesky and teenaged law enforcers for now."

With that, he moved toward the stairs to inform his unlikely collaborators of his success. Although he made sure to slip on a new glove before doing so. Working with starving and omnivorous insects taught him to always have a few extra pairs of gloves in one of his hidden pockets.

----

Beast Boy was standing behind the counter of Mega Meaty Meat, indifferently listening to a indignant customer ranting about how outraged he was that his steak was not five inches large as described in the menu, but four point ninety eight inches. The green teen was inwardly debating whether to remove his earplugs to hear if his interlocutor had something interesting to say when a piercing "HEEEEEELP!" echoed within the parody of restaurant, the whole city block and, optionally, Beast Boy's head too.

The changeling swiftly took a nearby stool, not noticing his immediate superior who previously stood on the piece of furniture coming crashing down on the floor, and shoved it against the counter. Thanks to it, he could actually reach the top of the counter, thus allowing him to deliver a heroic speech.

"Don't worry, citizens of Jump City!" He ripped his uniform, revealing an outrageous blue outfit that would make's Robin's fashion look like the summum of good taste and cause foes as well as children cower in fear before its utter hideousness. In short, an outfit fit for a real hero. The emerald letters 'BB' were proudly plastered onto his chest above a bigger golden 'S', surrounded by a green circle. " SuperBB is here!"

The defender of the weak, the oppressed and the vegetarian then hopped off the counter and ran out of the shop, ignoring the "Hey, there are still patrons to serve!", "Wait! I didn't complain about how crual it was to let a fly drown in a meat juice soup yet!" and other "See? If you don't eat your meat you'll end up like him." coming from behind him. He had already reached the source of all those calls for help, conveniently close to his working area, anyway.

Beast B--er, SuperBB could not help but gasp at the horrific scene before him. A blonde teenaged girl was held captive by the dark and ominous powers of none other than his arch enemy, powers which also darkened the whole street, turning it into a worrying battlefield. "Crow! I should have known it was you again!" He yelled. It was tradition for heroes and villains to have a meaningless discussion and state the obvious before a combat and none of them wanted to disregard the custom.

The young woman called Crow whirled around, distinct irritation written on her visage. She bore a suspicious resemblance to Raven save for her costume. She wore a black bodysuit, covered by long dress with open sides to give more mobility to her legs. The red of her dress matched her crimson gloves and knee-high boots. The whole attire suited the gray-skinned sorceress perfectly, neither too ample or too tight, and so did her scarlet hat, unavoidable accessory to any self-respecting witch.

"Do you have any education?" She roared before crossing her arms in an annoyed manner. "How rude of you to interrupt my gloating!" She waited for SuperBB's reaction. And waited. And waited. In the end, she sighed, uncrossed her arms and used her telekinesy to remove SuperBB's earplugs.

"And that," The hostage, a Terra look-alike, still had enough control over her darkness-encased body to jerk her thumb toward the hero who finally noticed his enemy had spoken. "is supposed to save me?"

"Sadly, yes." Crow replied, stroking her chin. "Must be a sample of hero: if it pleases the citizens, after they'll have a real one."

"Shouldn't we fight or something?" SuperBB barged in.

"Oh, yes." She pointed at her captive. "So, you stay in the background and watch while we mindlessly fight each other, purposely ignoring the arts of diplomacy and compromises advocated by our sacrosanct constitution, okay?" She briefly saluted and both her listeners nodded, although SuperBB did not understand the last part of the sentence. Afterward, she blasted her foe with dark energy, sending him head first into a fire hydrant and starting the battle.

The junevile hero shortly got back to his feet and dashed toward the witch. Crow braced herself for the upcoming blow but to her surprise, SuperBB jumped over her. Before she could even react, she found herself spread out on the asphalt due to a low kick from behind. She rolled sideways to evade the next strike, not caring about her hat that had been sent flying, and it was SuperBB's turn to meet the ground as Crow's leg hit the nape of his neck hard. She then quickly retreated to a safer area to prevent any counter-attack, knowing her enemy would require much more power to be taken down.

Whilst the two teens battled, the captive citizen a few feet aside of them struggled to lift her arm and looked her watch. _'I know the fight is traditional and all, but I'll be late for the dentist if it takes too much time...'_ She glanced at her captor. Her chances of rescue were at a low level, Crow currently having the upper hand. _'Very late. Why does she always choose me as a hostage?'_ She shrugged. _'Oh well. Two more captures and I'll have a key ring thanks to the member card she gave me.'_

"Come on, are you even trying? I feel like I'm fighting someone asleep." Crow taunted as she dodged all of SuperBB's blows, not even bothering to attack herself. "Wake up Beast Boy."

He stared at her with his mouth open. "How do you know my secret identity?" He asked, disbelief flooding his mind.

Crow rolled her eyes. "You kept your name tag one, genius." She cocked her hands on her hips, a taunting smile still plastered on her face. "You will not defeat the mistress of dark arts, boring books and herbal tea with such frailty." He was still dumbly staring at her. "Oh, Azar... Frailty is a synonym of weakness, can your ephemeral brain register that?" She harshly poked his forehead, as if she wanted to drive her finger through his skull and switch his brain on.

"Well, I guess I'll need a scarecrow then, right?" He ventured, desperate.

Crow stopped poking and opted to push him instead, making him stumble back. "I am so going to complain to the company. The hero samples they send are worthless." She took a quick look of SuperBB, who somehow managed to trip himself and rolled her eyes. Again. She looked skyward again as the hero tried finally stood up but tripped another time. She attempted to look at him before commenting.

Stuck.

"What?" She shrieked, distraughtly ordering her nerves to move her eyeballs. "Don't tell me I rolled my eyes so much they're now jammed?"

"Okay, I won't tell you that." She attempted to glare daggers at her short foe but her gaze only met the top of the buildings. Suddenly, she grasped SuperBB's wrist and knelt down, the only current way to actually look him eye to eye. And even in her embarassing position, her glare was close to make his blood curl.

"You've won for now." Her eyes glowed white. "But I'm not through with you. I'll be back."

Her threat complete, she disappeared. Now void of her menacing powers, her prisoner was finally set free and she wasted no time to launch herself in her savior's arms, though more out of respect for the tradition than attraction for the green boy. Moreover, the hero took this opportunity to start a no less customary victory speech.

"You saw it citizens of Jump City!" He addressed the empty streets, triyng to sound as mature and heroic as he could, which miserably failed due to his high-pitched voice. "Once again, good has triumphed against evil. And believe me, she won't ever come back!" He was about to add "Unlike the twenty seventh previous times..." under his breath when an all too familiar witch reappeared in front of him, eyes still glowing. "A-a-already back?" He stuttered, almost dropping his damsel in distress.

"No. I just forgot my hat." She bowed to take it, before turning back to SuperBB. "Besides, it'd be twenty nine times, not twenty seven." She teleported again, for good this time.

_'Dude, I hate psychopaths... Er, empaths... Telepaths... Whatever she is.'_ He was so deep in his thoughts that he did not notice the open palm dangerously close to his face before he had a red mark on his cheek. "What was that for?" He shouted in disbelief, staring at the person he saved for the twenty sev-sorry, twenty ninth time. She did not look possessed. The same blue eyes and blonde hair... Yes, the same person. Until she laughed exactly like Kitten, holding her hand as if ready, enthusiastic even, to repeat her deed.

Several "Nooooo!" escaped his lips as he was slapped again and again. Rescued citizens were just are not grateful anymore.

----

Although he realized long ago that Beast Boy was awake, Killer Moth continued slapping him, it was very enjoyable after all. So far, he had assured Starfire that the screams were only because of a nightmare, but he had to stop when he noticed her glaring at him, visibly unconvinced. "Alright. He's awake now." He coughed uneasily, standing up and stepping away from Beast Boy who was sitting against the wall.

"Wha-what happened?" The green teen asked, although his red cheeks could make one wonder the veracity of the epiteth.

"You were asleep and as you did not respond to our demands to wake up, Killer Moth slapped you out of your slumber." She eyed the said villain. "A little too enthusiastically, may I add."

Killer Moth just whistled innocently, hands behind his back and looking away, but he eventually replied. "At least, he did not languorously murmured 'Oh, Robin, you are so boilering...', unlike a certain someone." Killer Moth's imitation of Starfire as he quoted her was a little too impressive. He clasped his hand together, managed to mimick fluttering eyelashes even though he did not have any, and his voice perfectly matched the alien's one. The whole display caused both Beast Boy and Silkie to shy away, respectively behind Starfire and in her arms. For her part, she felt blood rushing to her cheeks.

The villain shrugged. "I supposed you meant 'hot', although hot-tempered would suit him so much better." Thankfully for him, Starfire was too occupied trying not to blush more to scream at him for criticizing her beloved Robin. He coughed again, although this time to attract attention. "Anyhow, I think I found a cure for your pet." He hastily dodged Starfire jumping on him to hug him and thank him, which caused the princess to fall with a crash behind him. Killer Moth rolled his eyes. _'Aliens.'_

He walked past the teens, not bothering to assist Beast Boy who was helping Starfire up for the second time of the night, and stopped, standing in front of the hall leading to his basement. "The cure is in my laboratory. Come." He then disappeared down the corridor, while the teenagers hurriedly followed him. The room was now much more illuminated thanks to the imminent sunrise. They spotted the geneticist near his table, carefully holding a test tube in one hand and a new, clean needle in the other.

"This should cure him." He filled his needle with the antidote and approached Silkie, when he was interrupted by Starfire.

"You will not harm Silkie!"

"The cure is in this needle. Do you want him to become healthy again or not?" He retorted.

"This will hurt him."

"And cure him."

"Is there not another way?" Starfire asked, determined to prevent her pet any pain. Killer Moth just rolled his eyes, wishing yet again he had chosen to stay in his ice prison.

"He can still ingest it, but the process will be much longer. Therefore, the needle. End of discussion."

As the princess refused again the use of a needle, Killer Moth resisted the urge to smash his table into her face. _'Kitten was right in her fits of fury. She __**is**__ stupid sometimes.'_ Of course, the last adverb was a personal addition. He looked at Beast Boy, who had wisely decided not to take part in the argument. _'Not for long...'_ The villain thought, inwardly smirking.

"Beast Boy." He started in his most calm voice. "You probably know using a needle is much more efficient, don't you agree?" He asked, forcing him into entering the dispute.

"Well..." The unfortunate mediator rubbed the back of his neck. "Some can be eaten." Starfire's triumphant smile did not even have a chance to appear because of his next comment. "While others can be used only with needles... I should know, Mento was like a teacher to me, he taught me all that stuff." Now that his past with the Doom Patrol was known by virtually all his friends and foes, Beast Boy did not mind to speak of those times, unlike before.

"But Killer Moth _did_ say his antidote could be used both ways." She crossed her arms. "Silkie will not feel the sting of the needle, coma."

"I think you mean 'period'." Beast Boy ventured, unsure of what contradicting the strong girl would cause.

The disagreements continued for a while until, tired by his experimentations and sick of these quarrels, Killer Moth accepted to make an edible version of his cure. Thankfully for the unlikely trio, it was quickly prepared, leaving them a little chance to come back before the other Titans were awake. Killer Moth sit on his table, holding the pet in one arm and a spoon with his free hand.

"Open your mouth and gulp down your medecine like a good larva." He ordered, with no success. Silkie persisted not to obey, too worried by his creator. "What? Don't tell me I must do like I had to do for Kitten?" He sighed in frustation. If he ever created other genetically-modified insects, he would teach them not to approach the Titans, especially not the ones he was forced to deal with.

"Oh, look!" He said in a falsely sugary tone. "It is a plane." After a sad imitation of a plane with his spoon, Killer Moth finally lost the patience he had managed to keep since he was stuck with the two teens. "Listen, ungrateful worm. Either you eat this." He shoved the spoon under Silkie's bug eyes. "Or I will make it eat _you_." Considering the artificial substance was about as menacing as the original 'Fuzzy', if not more, it was perfectly plausible in the poor worm's mind. In Starfire and Beast Boy's ones too, actually.

"If he raised Kitten that way, I understand why she's like she is now..." Beast Boy whispered to Starfire, who nodded, while both glanced worriedly at the geneticist. Killer Moth turned into a nanny was indeed a very scary sight.

"Good." The villain eventually said when the silk worm finally swallowed the cure. "Now, back to your owner." He carelessly threw it at the teens, who bumped into each other as they tried to catch Silkie. In due course, he landed on the changeling's head. "I did my part of the deal. Now, go away and leave me alone." He paused. "At least for today. We all need to sleep." He just knew they would come back to check on him.

Moments later, Beast Boy, Starfire and Silkie found themselves in the garden. Too exhausted to bother leading them back to the exit, Killer Moth simply decided to send them through the window he had thankfully opened before doing so. The lack of damage to the furniture proved that he still had a good aim; they ended up outside at the first throw.

"Well." Beast Boy waited for the window to be closed, quite noisily, before continuing his sentence. "Mission complete." He grinned, glad that Silkie was cured. And to be away from the mad scientist, optionally.

"Yes friend." She tried to return the smile, but just found the strength to yawn. "We should go back to our home now."

"Yeah." He stood up. "But I think we'll have to walk back there, all my limbs are dead sore."

"Indeed." She got to her feet too, grabbing the nearby Silkie as she did so. "I am out of the worn."

"Worn-out Star, worn-out."

The two left the garden an instant later. Unknown to them, a lone figure in the usually deserted neighboorhood spotted them, the impending daybreak providing enough light for him to recognise them. _'Beast Boy and Starfire here? Only them?'_ A smile appeared on his face. _'This could be interesting. Too bad I have other business to take care of now. As soon as I'm done with it, though... '_ The mysterious individual smirked as he walked toward a destination known by him only.


	5. Of bribes and secrets

The secrecy allowed to the Teen Titans when using their access code to enter their Tower did not help Starfire and Beast Boy's attempt to come back without their teammates knowing. Despite their shopping bags, they had displayed prowesses of stealth and Beast Boy had even bribed Silkie with lumps of sugar to keep him silent, but it was of little avail. When the door they stood in front of opened, it did not reveal the empty living room they hoped but the Boy Wonder himself. The bags under his mask let them presume that he stayed up since the duo left, but he still looked as alert as usual. He glared at them, his arms crossed and his foot tapping on the floor.

"Where have you been?" He asked, authority clear in his tired voice.

"Err, we were at, hm..." Beast Boy anxiously uttered while Starfire was nervously chuckling. Silkie just gazed at Robin, unperturbed.

Robin simply raised an eyebrow. "And where, exactly, is 'errwewearathm', Beast Boy?" He would have found the situation amusing if it was not for the fact that they had needed to leave the tower before everyone else was awake to go shopping. He knew that Starfire was most likely the most peculiar creature within the city, but her behaviour was suspicious. Probably Beast Boy's fault, he mentally noted.

"Well, you see... Star and I went to..." The changeling's sentence then dissolved into muffled words.

"Oh." Robin replied, nodding. "I see."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's between 'I'm talking nonsense' and 'I'm getting extra training', isn't it?" He retorted, a smirk replacing the facade of realisation he used seconds earlier. Beast Boy just uneasily laughed and looked away. Thankfullly, Starfire decided to speak, anticipating Robin's next question.

"We wanted to be the first of the row at the mall of shopping, yes?"

"I guess you mean 'line', Starfire... And that must have been a really long line, a whole day!" He replied, finally uncrossed his arms and lifting them skyward in an exaggerated fashion. He thend stepped aside, motioning them to enter the room instead of staying in the doorframe. "I hope it was worth the wait." He said, suspiciously eyeing the shopping bags she was carrying.

The idea of debating fashions with Robin made her instantly forget the hazardous predicament she and Beast Boy were in, and she produced one of her purchase. The Boy Wonder soon saw what looked like the blasphemous result of an ungodly experiment aiming at merging a pink flamingo with a golem of jewels emerge from her shopping bag.

"Yes it was! Is it not the most adorable coat you have ever seen?" Starfire exclaimed, proving once again that her taste in clothes was fundamentally different from her friends' ones.

"Hm... Yes?" Robin ventured, both not to hurt her feelings and because his brain was struggling to register the horror in front of him. "You will look, err, wonderful with this."

Starfire giggled. "It is not for me, it is for friend Beast Boy!"

"You bought it?!" Beast Boy shrieked, then paused. "Excuse me a second."

He walked out of the room and closed the door, ignoring the confused looks of his friends. Seconds later, a high-pitched and blaring scream echoed all through the tower.

"So... How about you go to your room to put away those... clothes?" Robin proposed.

"Put away? You want me to abandon the pieces of clothes?"

_'Yes.'_ Robin shook his head. "I meant you should put them in your closet before we get breakfast."

Starfire muttered a 'oh' and nodded, before exiting the room with her shopping bags and Silkie. She noticed Beast Boy on his knees and with his hands thrown skywards and just assumed he was as tired as she was. After she disappeared on the way to her bedroom, Robin walked into the corridor and crouched down beside Beast Boy.

"Considering what you have been through..." He glanced at the direction Starfire went to. "...and what you will get through, consider your extra training cancelled."

"Thanks." Beast Boy whispered. A few silent minutes ticked by. "Robin, can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"

"If I ever accept again to shop with Star, please tie me up and lock me up in my room."

Robin gave a quiet laugh. "With pleasure." Silence reigned once more before Robin broke it. "You think the shop you went to has an after-sales service?"

----

Raven promised herself to choke Beast Boy a few times for waking her up one of the very rare times she decided to have a long lie. She was even wearing her favourite pyjamas instead of her usual night leotard to savour what could be unique in her lifetime, a peaceful night and a quiet morning at the same time due to the absence of the changeling, but he wasted that occasion.

She grumpily undressed, then slipped her day leotard on, summoned her cape to herself and put it on. Raven did not bother to open the dor and simply phased through it. And stepped violently into Starfire who was going to her own room. They both lost their balance and everything the alien was carrying was sent flying around.

"Sorry Raven, I did not see you!"

"Unless you can see through matter, I doubt you can predict when I phase, you know." Raven deadpanned. Then she heard a gargling noise above her.

"Silkie apologizes as well."

"Yeaaaaah." Then she spotted some of the clothes Starfire bought. "Spoils of war from wrestling with Kitten's wardrobe?" She pointed her index at her bags. The comment naturally reminded Starfire that they had made a deal with Kitten's father. Raven took her sudden stutter as a 'yes' and cocked an eyebrow. "You did? I knew monarchy was going hand in hand with pillage."

"I did not!" She replied in a hurry, oblivious of the empath's not so subtle sarcasm.

_'Don't they know sarcasm on Tamaran? Aliens.'_ Raven noticed the dreaded, petite coat that was bound to haunt Beast Boy's nights forever. "This is too small for you..." She commented as she got up, Silkie still very comfortable on her head, and compared the... thing's size with her own. She almost twitched. "Don't tell me you bought it for me..."

"Do not worry, Raven." Starfire had no idea how 'worry' was a judicious choice of word. "This is for Beast Boy. He was very cute wearing this."

Raven's eyes darted from the coat to Starfire's smiling face. Sometimes, she wished she shared her sister's fashion - or at least her ability to realise what could be considered clothes and what could not. Beast Boy's scream suddenly felt very understandable. In some way, it was the team's fault, not Starfire's, since they had let her have the first step on the route of 'everything vaguely looking textile is wearable' and now Starfire was building this route farther than it had been at the beginning.

"However." Starfire's interruption snapped her from her thoughts. "I did buy something for you." She stood up and emptied one of her bags. A purple, fluffy and unidentified object and a red dress eerily resembling Madame Rouge's one fell on the floor.

_'Does she have an obsession about villainess' clothing?'_ Raven pondered as she threw the offending coat aside and held the dress in front of her, vaguely interested. Thankfully, the madwoman had a much more acceptable fashion than Kitten, let alone Starfire. And she could use it to scare Beast Boy by cosplaying as Madame Rouge. All in all, she was pleasantly surprised by the relative good taste of her gift.

"Do you like it?"

"It is wearable." Raven's answer was enough to please Starfire. She glanced at the purple snake that was beside the dress. "Isn't it a little early to buy a tinsel garland?"

"This is not an ornament. Not for a tree, at least. "She giggled. "It is a scarf."

Raven shoved her dress on her shoulder and took the item, observing the label. Starfire was right, it was a scarf. One that seemed to have met a very violent, spin-drying end, but a scarf nonetheless. She also remarked that the price was not in dollars - as Beast Boy's letter would have let suppose - but in euros. If Robin was left to read some labels, the following discussion promised to be interesting...

She bore a strained smile. "For me? Why, thank you Starfire..."

Starfire just smiled.

"Star?"

"Yes?"

"Please remind Silkie that my head is _not_ a nest." She ordered sharply. Silkie found himself in his owner's arms in matter of seconds. "Good."

Raven then helped her to gather her purchases and when they were done, she gestured to her friend to continue toward her own room. Only when she had disappeared from her view did she really evaluate her last gift. The scarf seemed to stare back at her.

_'If at least it wasn't so fluffy, I could have cut it into napkins...'_ She regretted. "You're not recyclable, are you?"

----

"Aaaah. Finally alone and able to rest." Killer Moth, now in his very dusty bedroom, yawned. Exhausted, he planned to sleep all day, which was not new to him; he was more of a night creature, or rather night scientist, than a diurnal one. And fortunately for her 'social life', his daughter's biological clock was not affected by his own. And it also meant he had to spent less time with the spoilt brat. Err, the child.

He dropped on his large bed, ready to enjoy long hours of sleep when the termite-eaten bed frame split into sawdust. The mattress collapsed down on the floor, a few springs sprouting out of the mattress under the combined shock of the fall and the man's weight. Killer Moth laid there, too resigned to even sigh. "I will have to persuade those two Titans to repair my house..."

But that would be after he slept. Thankfully, he could still sleep on his mattress in spite of its bad and dusty condition. Besides, he would need his brain to function fully for his plans of revenge...

----

"So..."

"So?"

Robin and Beast Boy had not left the corridor and were still pondering over what to speak about when the sun had still to fully appear in the sky.

"Shouldn't we go and prepare breakfast before Starfire does it herself?" Robin suddenly remembered who he was talking to. A vehement vegetarian. Vegan, even. "Err, shouldn't _I_ go? You must be tired..."

"And you're not? You have enough bags under your eyes to travel the whole world three times over."

"You're exaggerating..."

"Yeah. True." Beast Boy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "More like twice."

"Anyway. You stayed up longer than I did. I'm less tired, I should go..." Cyborg was better as breakfast arguments than he ever was...

"I took a nap, you know." Beast Boy pointed out. "And it's not like poptofu takes long to prepare. Just a minute in the microwave!"

Robin quirked one confused eyebrow at him. "Pop...tofu?" There is no god.

"Yep!" He replied, flashing a commercial smile. "And at least you don't have to kill animals to get it!"

"Corn doesn't come from animals. If anything, it _feeds_ them."

Beast Boy's ears dropped. "My life has been a lie!" He shrieked overdramatically, causing Robin to roll his eyes. He hoped he would not influence Starfire too much... Or the other way round. "But I still get to cook breakfast!" With that, he switched the nearby door open and rushed in the living room. Robin quickly followed after.

"We're getting tofu this morning Robin!"

"Oh no, we don't." Beast Boy and Robin stopped running, Cyborg was already behind the kitchen counter, next to towers of waffles, and was roasting steaks on a frying pan.

"How did you get here?" Beast Boy inquired. "We didn't see you..." His eyes widened in realisation. "I know! You're an alien who can turn invisible!" He jumped on Cyborg, vainly attempting to get him into a headlock. "Who are you and what did you do to Cy?!"

Cyborg just rolled his eyes. "There are other doors, you know." Beast Boy and Robin did not need to know that he just stepped out of his hideout after being awaken by Beast Boy's screech. This had not been very comfortable anyway. "Now get off my head, grass stain. I don't want to smell like tofu for hours." The green teen swiftly obeyed.

Still, Beast Boy had not finished to argue, except that this time the dispute would be about food. He was about to say something when the kettle whistled. "Raven?" He stuttered. So much for a furtive entrance...

"Nope, _I_ made tea." Cyborg poured the hot liquid in Raven's usual teacup.

Robin, who had ignored the argument and sat down at the table, looked at the robotic teen. "You drink tea?"

"It's for Raven." Both his interlocutors raised an eyebrow. "Figured it would distract her from beating BB into a pulp for waking her up... She's gonna show up soon."

"Hm, thanks, I guess." The changeling muttered. To think he expected his friends to flood him with uneasy questions...

"So, how about we all eat waffles and you zoom off to bed after? You need sleep and you might escape her wrath for a while." Beast Boy did not look as tired as Robin, but it was still visible. Robin, for his part, was already digging into waffles.

"Good idea, but I think we should have breakfast together."

"I'm sure Starfire will have many things to say about her mannequin." Robin commented between two bites. Beast Boy shuddered.

"All things considered..." He put some waffles on a plate and dashed to his room.

Cyborg eventually finished cooking his steaks and seated at the table, smelling his meal. "Operation 'No Tofu' complete. Victory!"

----

Back in the shrine to pinkness that served her as a bedroom, Starfire was debating whether or not to wear the new attire she had bought for herself. She wanted to show it to the team the earlier she could, but there was no point if Robin was too drained to discern the difference. She did not even know if he was still awake.

Silkie, for his part, was unaffected by his mistress' pacing back and forth. Neither was he affected by the smooth fabric of the bed she had cautiously put him on. Truth be told, the little silk worm was infuriated. His other master, Beast Boy had promised him sugar. And he had not been given sugar. Silkie always was impatient.

And, much more importantly, hungry.

Ignored by the Robin-concerned alien, Silkie crawled down the bed and vanished into the corridor, as Starfire luckily forgot to close her door. As for her, she continued to pirouette around with her ensemble, still contemplating her dilemma.

----

"Hey guys." Raven said monotonously as she entered the main room. She was answered by more energetic 'hey' from the others. Cyborg was baking bacon, as if his towers of waffles were not enough while Robin was searching for a drink in the fridge. She moved toward the kettle when she noticed her teacup already full. She raised one expectant eyebrow at her teammates.

"Cyborg." Robin simply declared.

"Should I consider this bribery?"

"Maybe." He replied, more concerned about the fridge than Raven's pleasantry. Strangely, it lacked the blue substance he usually had to fight with to get anything. Not that he complained.

Cyborg's attention finally left from what was in his frying pan. "Why would I bribe you, Rae?"

"To be given the permission to call me Rae, perhaps?"

Cyborg stroked his chin. "Why didn't I think of that before?" He asked to himself before remembering the situation. "Err, because?" His sense of improvisation never ceased to amaze him.

"I see." She walked over to the couch and sat down, taking her teacup as she went by. "I was wondering." She took Cyborg's nodding as an authorization to go on. "What did Starfire buy _you_?"

Cyborg and Robin froze at the comment - Robin's hand a little more literally as it was still within the refrigerator - and barely found enough strength to stare at the empath. Starfire had bought Beast Boy something, she could have perfectly bought them the sickingly sweet gifts she alone had the secret.

Robin shuddered and shrieked at the same time. "I don't want to look like a Barbie doll!"

Cyborg, however, regained his composure. "Chill down, Rob. And remove your hand from the fridge." Robin did so, his hand grasped around a soda. "Knowing her, what she bought for you will make you look like her knight in shining armor." Robin visibly relaxed. "What she bought for me, I dunno..."

Afterward, Cyborg put out the fire and very delicately laid the frying pan on the table, making sure that the bacon inside was left intact. He moved to a more spacious part of the room and only then did he panic about what Starfire could have possibly chosen for him. It was already bad enough, he did not need his bacon to be thrown into the air and land on something horrible like tofu or Robin's gel-flooded hair. The said leader just smacked his forehead at Cyborg's reaction.

Raven simply sipped her tea. It was most certainly her demon half speaking, but tea always tasted better with zest of someone else's distress...

----

During those events, a phone conversation was about to start somewhere in Jump City. In one of the several rooms of a relatively modern building, a man was seated on a luxurious office chair, holding a phone receiver. He looked around, occasionally checking his impeccable black suit, as the phone beeped until a male voice answered.

"Yes?" The voice crackled.

"I've seen something interesting a few hours ago." He could imagine his interlocutor looking at his watch. "Yes, I know, very early. Which makes the event even more out of the ordinary."

"Who?" The voice straightforwardly asked.

"Beast Boy and Starfire."

"Where?"

The man chuckled. "You know, sentences are supposed to be longer than one word." He soon regained his serious tone. "Anyhow, this could prove to be useful. I can't intend this myself, so I want you to know the why most importantly, and the rest after."

"So that you know whether or not your suspicions are right... Not that you really need it to act." The mysterious voice continued.

"See? Verbs are not that overrated." He chuckled again. "But you're right, that's the point."

"I suppose you want me to stalk them when they're alone and out of the tower. Hopefully Robin won't be around."

The suited man was silent for a few seconds. "Exactly."

"I like challenges." The unknown interlocutor commented. "When do I start?"

"Now."

"Understood... mister Wilson." And he hung up.

The man put down the receiver and interlaced his fingers under his chin. Beast Boy and Starfire's strange partnership could already be used to his advantage with only one event, but more evidence - be it real or conveniently orchestrated - meant a better and possibly more lasting advantage...


End file.
